Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, DOL NEWS—Recovered: $162K in FLSA back wages, damages; $45K in ERISA retirement contributions, (Jan 21, 2026)

By Pamela Wolf, J.D.

Also, $23 million in VETS grants will address veterans’ homelessness; DOL Secretary nears end of listening tour; OSHA partnership seeks to prevent workers’ exposure to gas, pressurized zones, confined spaces, struck-by incidents, and ensure shoring and protective systems in excavations.

In separate developments the DOL announced its recovery of $162,487 in back wages and damages to resolve FLSA violations and $45,699 to settle ERISA infractions for workers at employers in Wisconsin and Ohio, respectively. The department also announced the availability of $23 million in grant funding to address homelessness among veterans, the Secretary of Labor’s four-state-swing in her listening tour, and OSHA’s strategic partnership with the Methuen Obayashi Joint Venture to promote worker safety and health during construction of the Cemetery Brook Drain Tunnel Project in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Not paid for off-the-clock work. Pursuant to a consent judgment, North Central Community Services Program and Affiliates, dba North Central Health Care, must pay $162,486 in back wages and liquidated damages to 68 case managers. An investigation by the DOL’s WHD found that between June 17, 2021, and June 16, 2023, the Wisconsin-based multicounty medical care partnership violated FLSA recordkeeping and overtime provisions when it failed to record and pay case managers all wages owed for off-the-clock work, including overtime.

Failed to remit workers’ retirement contributions. A federal district court in Ohio entered a consent judgment under which civil engineering firm, Infrastructure & Development Engineering Inc., and its owner must pay $45,699.63 to employee accounts in the company’s 401(k) plan. The DOL’s EBSA found the company and its owner violated ERISA when, between February 10, 2017, and August 19, 2022, they failed to remit employees’ retirement contributions to the company’s 401(k) plan and failed to prudently manage the plan. After restoring the retirement assets, the owner must take steps to terminate the Infrastructure & Development Engineering Inc. 401(k) Plan and be removed as a fiduciary to the plan. The owner and the company were also assessed a $9,139.93 civil penalty for fiduciary breaches.

Grants to help homeless veterans. The DOL announced the availability of $23 million in grant funding to support organizations working to help homeless veterans and those at risk of homelessness by providing training and employment services. Administered by the department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), the Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) seeks to reduce and prevent veterans’ homelessness by assisting them in overcoming obstacles and successfully reentering the workforce. HVRP grants will provide each recipient with up to $500,000 annually, for a total of $1.5 million over a three-year period. Award recipients will be chosen to deliver workplace skills training, support participation in Registered Apprenticeship programs or other types of on-the-job training, and supply employment placement assistance.

Applications. Eligible applicants include state and local workforce development boards, federally recognized Native American governments; state agencies; for-profit entities and non-profit organizations, including community and faith-based organizations; and public, state, and private institutions of higher education.

Apply for this funding opportunity by March 6, 2026.

Webinars. To provide information about the grant program and assist prospective applicants, VETS is offering two webinars. Participants will be able to learn more about the funding opportunity and ask questions about the application process on the following dates:

• Register for the January 27, 2026, 1:00-2:30 p.m. CST webinar

• Register for the February 25, 2026, 2:00-3:30 p.m. CST webinar

“The Department of Labor understands that access to a good-paying job is one of the strongest tools we have to reduce and prevent veteran homelessness,” said Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer. “This $23 million investment will help veterans overcome barriers to employment and reenter the workforce with the dignity and opportunity they deserve.”

Labor Secretary’s listening tour. Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer completed a four-state swing through North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska as she nears the end of her 50-state “America at Work” listening tour. The Secretary is meeting with construction workers, business leaders, local officials, healthcare workers, and apprentices as part of her promise to speak directly with the hardworking men and women who keep our nation running strong.

In Fargo, North Dakota, the Secretary joined Governor Kelly Armstrong and the team at Applied Digital Corp. for a tour of the Polaris Forge 2 construction site, an AI data center currently underway. Viewing the two upcoming facilities on the 900-acre campus, the Secretary spoke with the construction workers and businessmen and women who shared her emphasis on connecting the next generation of workers with in-demand jobs, such as electricians and pipefitters, which are necessary for AI-driven projects. Following the tour, the Secretary and Governor Armstrong engaged with local construction partners and community leaders.

Secretary Chavez-DeRemer toured three Sanford Health locations in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, while engaging with their leadership to discuss innovations in virtual care, gastroenterology, and pediatric medicine. Sanford Health is the largest rural health system in the U.S., providing access to high-quality care in America's heartland for over two million patients. Her visit began with a tour of the Sanford Virtual Care Center, where she saw firsthand how Sanford is preparing the next generation of clinicians for new care delivery models and paving the way for the innovative future of health care. Expanding on that goal of equipping workers with the tools to navigate AI infrastructure in their unique fields, the medical team offered the Secretary hands-on experience with their AI algorithm for colon cancer screening while at the Sanford Center for Digestive Health. Concluding the visit, Secretary Chavez-DeRemer toured the Sanford Children’s Hospital and discussed the importance of employee retention with the facility’s leadership.

In Iowa, Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs hosted the Secretary for a tour of their campus, where she heard directly from apprentices and their instructors how workforce development programs open doors for those who do not wish to pursue a four-year-degree. The tour included visits to Iowa Western’s welding and HVAC labs, where she met with students pursuing those trades. The Secretary reiterated her belief that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work and emphasized her focus on creating new and better pathways to the workforce that do not rely on a traditional college route.

In Ohama, Nebraska, the Secretary engaged with Union Pacific Railroad Co. workers, leadership, and Chief Executive Officer Jim Vena at its state-of-the-art Training Center and Harriman Dispatching Center. There she witnessed the inventive and robust training required for developing the railroad’s skilled workforce, even operating simulated equipment with the assistance of future locomotive engineers currently under Union Pacific’s instruction. While at the sites, the Secretary participated in the same unique, hands-on learning environment that future dispatchers and engineers enjoy. She also joined dispatchers, engineers, and other Union Pacific employees in a roundtable discussion to hear about their personal experiences. The Secretary shared with the staff and leadership that at her direction, the DOL has added over 300,000 new apprentices and registered 2,512 new apprenticeship programs, which puts President Trump’s goal of one million active apprentices well within reach.

“Whether it’s the students who are excited about getting their foot in the door through apprenticeship opportunities, or the business leaders who get to grow and expand their footprint thanks to President Trump’s pro-worker policies, hardworking Americans across the country are excited to have an Administration dedicated to putting them first,” said Secretary Chavez-DeRemer. “I’m going to continue these conversations so I can go back to the President and share stories from every industry about what’s working and what isn’t—and learn how we can best support the American Worker through it all.”

Strategic worker safety partnership. OSHA signed a strategic partnership with the Methuen Obayashi Joint Venture to promote worker safety and health during construction of the Cemetery Brook Drain Tunnel Project in Manchester, New Hampshire. The project will modernize Manchester’s drainage system to reduce sewer overflows with the construction of a gravity-fed stormwater conveyance tunnel. OSHA’s partnership with the civil construction company seeks to prevent workers’ exposure to gas, pressurized zones, confined spaces and struck-by incidents, and ensure the use of shoring and protective systems in excavations.

The initiative will also assist contractors in developing and implementing safety and health management systems and train subcontractors on recognizing hazards when working in and around construction sites. Partners will emphasize leadership engagement, accountability measures, worker participation strategies, and robust hazard identification protocols.

Companies: North Central Community Services Program and Affiliates; North Central Health Care; Infrastructure & Development Engineering Inc.; Applied Digital Corp.; Sanford Health; Iowa Western Community College; Union Pacific Railroad Co.; Methuen Obayashi Joint Venture

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